Game Reviews

Papo & Yo Review (PC)

"Papo & Yo steps beyond the conventional implications of how a narrative is treated in video games and follows a more delicate path to convey its message."

At first glance Papo &
Yo appears like a colorful and cheerful puzzle platformer with a giant pink
monster that eats frogs and coconuts. Some might even play though the entire
game without truly understandings its darker implications. This is why Papo
& Yo is so spectacular and special. Its metaphorical tale that explores
fear, abuse, and poverty is portrayed in such a creative manner that each
player might take away something different from the experience. Some might
simply enjoy its beautiful scenery and interesting environmental puzzles, while
others will shiver at the allegory of a child raised by an abusive, alcoholic
father. Much like the legendary Ico and Shadow of the Colossus, Papo & Yo
steps beyond the conventional implications of how a narrative is treated in
video games and follows a more delicate path to convey its message. Papo &
Yo is one of the most impactful indie titles this generation and goes to show
just how powerful the medium can be.

"Papo & Yo should be approached as a story first and a game second. It’s a modern day fable that asks for your hand to guide you through its mysterious world."

It’s all in the details. Papo
& Yo’s poetic narrative serves as a correlation to a discomforting reality.
This autobiographical tale of creator Vander Caballero tells the story of
Quico, a young Brazilian kid who escapes into his imagination to get away from
his abusive father. Its dark opening scene is quickly overlaid with the
beautiful, albeit poverty stricken Brazilian favela. Before long Quico meets
Monster, a giant pink creature that craves coconuts and likes to sleep. Soon
the boy discovers Monster’s dark side. By eating frogs, Monster turns into a
fiery, enraged lunatic that runs around destroying everything in his path.
Quico becomes determined to find a cure for Monster’s aggressiveness and it’s
terrifying to picture their relationship as a personification of Caballero’s
real life childhood struggles.

Papo & Yo should be approached
as a story first and a game second. It’s a modern day fable that asks for your
hand to guide you through its mysterious world. It’s an experience that relies
on your curiosities to fill in the blanks and oftentimes leaves you with more
questions than answers. Its disobedience to standard gaming trends lends itself
to a more experimental gameplay approach that keeps the journey fresh and
exciting throughout. At its core, Papo & Yo is a third person platformer
comprised of environmental puzzles. Quico can manipulate objects and buildings
by interacting with chalk drawings around the environment. Most objectives
consist of solving puzzles to open new areas and collaborating with Monster to
overcome various obstacles. Oftentimes you have to deal with Monster’s
outbursts, which are equivalent to mini-boss fights, but he can be quickly
subdued when fed a giant blueberry.

"The core mechanics are quite simple and I wouldn’t recommend playing this if you’re having itchy trigger fingers."

The puzzles themselves
aren’t too complicated but it’s the level design that makes solving each stage a
rewarding experience. Seeing the architecture transform as you morph buildings
into transportation devices is startling. To get across greater gaps, Quico
uses a little robot sidekick to hover from building to building. If you get
stuck on a particular puzzle, drawings inside cardboard boxes tucked away in
each level reveal clues to your objectives. It’s a brilliant idea but it
definitely makes things easier, so it’s better to just figure out the solution
on your own. The core mechanics are quite simple and I wouldn’t recommend
playing this if you’re having itchy trigger fingers. It’s meant to be enjoyed
like a good storybook and those thirsting for something different will get the most out of its sublime experience.

"The PC version of Papo & Yo is undoubtedly the definitive experience."

Papo & Yo is visually
beautiful. Colorful environments are dissected with massive contrasting white
shapes of chalk as you peel away layers of architecture and the creature design
is both charming and grim. The dark tone that underlies this magical world is
exquisitely balanced and the subtle rhythmical soundtrack serves as a superb
companion while you hop across the rooftops. Technically, however, the game is
a little unstable. Odd framerate hiccups and occasional clipping can interrupt
the immersion, but it’s still a significant improvement over the console
counterpart.

The PC version of Papo & Yo is undoubtedly the definitive
experience. It beautifully balances a touchy subject matter with lighthearted
puzzle solving and provides a noteworthy narrative that’s worth replaying over
and over. It’s the Ico of our generation and I can only cross my fingers that Vander
Caballero has more adventures in store for us as the new generation rolls
around. I absolutely adored every second with Papo & Yo and recommend it to
anyone craving something unique and memorable.

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The Game Scouts was created by gamers for gamers. We love discussing video games almost as much as we love playing them. Our reviews, previews and articles cover a variety of platforms, including old-school classics.